All twelve of the original apostles went to the grave proclaiming that Jesus performed miracles, was crucified, rose from the dead, and was the Messiah, or Christ who was predicted by the prophets of the Old Testament. Almost all were executed for this belief.
Any theory that supposes the apostles and writers of the New Testament were being dishonest about Jesus must explain why they wouldn’t avoid humiliation and a horrible death by simply recanting their statements.
The only explanation was that these eyewitnesses believed what they said about Jesus. Therefore, we consider the New Testament to be a credible source in our search for truth.